No amount of tweaking is going to help when this is the quality of candidate available to choose from.

It's not the Primary process itself.

The leadership had very little hope of taking Obama in this election. They knew this going in. Bachmann knew that she had no hope in 10,000 Hells or Seven Heavens of getting the nod this year. Nor in 2016 for that matter. What all of those folks did realize is that there was a LOT of money to be made this election season. With books, with PACs, with fundraisers, with rallies, and it was about fleecing the rubes for as much as they could bear, and in order to keep up their spirits--and their wallets and pocketbooks open. For all the Sturm und Drang, and all the frenzied rhetoric, the leadership was more than fairly certain that whoever got the nod would lose. But, that didn't stop the opportunists and folks from moving cash around to the right folks after begging the rubes for MOAR cash.

Johnson and Huntsman were the only credible candidates on the field, and by credible, I mean relatively sane. Romney was a sacrificial lamb, but he has been a veteran campaigner. Not necessarily a successful one, but he knew how to pay folks back, to get something on the back end, after the election. He moved a lot of cash around to the right folks. On advisers. On staff. On ads. On books. His entire career has been being a poster child, who slides cash to the right folks, with himself as a target. From before the Olympics even. He knows how to grease the right palms once he gets into a position, and he is really good at making sure that folks get taken care of. As a candidate he made sure that a LOT of cash went to the right folks. He kept up ad revenue for Fox. He kept the wheels greased for dozens of websites. He hired a lot of folks and made sure that they got paid. He served a purpose. Not to win. Cripes, I don't think that anyone in the GOP really wanted the Presidency with as much crap to clean up from their last go around, but when you have founded your base on mouth breathers, you have to give them something to hope for. You have to give them a target for ire, because if you don't, then they might begin asking questions, and the wrong kind.

The field this last go around wasn't about winning. Not in the least. It was about fleecing the rubes for as much as possible, because at this point, that is really all the TEA Party is good for. They are good for rage cash, and in order to stoke that, you need folks who will stand as symbols. Bachmann. Paul. Newt. All fairly impossible tickets, but then again, folks play the lotto with similar odds, and that is really what it was about: cashing in on folks who want to believe.

Romney himself, I doubt really wanted to win. Not after his tenure as Governor. Not with all the eyes looking straight at him, and actually listening to what he would say. That is far more scrutiny than he is comfortable with. He did want to be a good soldier and slide cash to the folks who will pad out his retirement though. He did want the accolades for a while, and then when he failed, he could point to the "underhanded tactics" that cost his election, and slide back into a boardroom, surfeit and complete with the knowledge that he would make his cash back, and pride assuaged. Winning would be a catastrophe for the GOP right now. It would mean actually tackling the problems that their policies had caused, and with a full light upon them on how to accomplish the vocal goals that they've announced. And no one in the party wants that. Right now, they are reactionaries and radicals, and that requires something to rage against. In order to look like they're doing something, as opposed to doing something useful--because folks have a fairly good idea of what is necessary, but no one wants to be the ones to tell the American public that they're going to take the tough steps to do that. Instead, they are banking on being dragged to the table, and eventually they will capitulate in order to keep the nation afloat--they just don't want to do it too willingly, because they've bet the farm on being the ones to stand up against the very strategies needed.

somedude210:It'd be nice if the GOP actually did some soul searching and either concluded that they don't have one or that they need to be more moderate in their positions to sustain themselves

They know that they need to be more moderate. The problem is that they have gerrymandered too many districts that are solid red. This has meant that in order to win against people from their own party they often have to out-tea-tard the next guy. Thus pushing them farther from the middle and making them slowly loose ground in nearly all other contested areas because the extreme folks are tainting their national image.

Jairzinho:Dimensio: sammyk: ariseatex: /Freepers must be having a heart attack over this

It's glorious! They are busy dropping their republican registrations for independent.

I have also changed my registration from Republican to independent. I suspect, however, that I have done so for different reasons.

/Not a Fark Independent.

That means nothing if you still vote straight R tickets no matter what.

I do not, and I will not. Mr. Romney was a terrible Presidential candidate. Senator McCain would have been a viable Presidential candidate prior to his adoption of unreasonable positions in 2008, and Governor Palin was a terrible Vice-Presidential candidate. President Obama has proven himself to be a generally competent leader, though I do fundamentally disagree with him (and with the official Democratic national party platform) on some issues.

Bullshiat. You don't run for President as GOPer for like 12 years without wanting to be President. If he just wanted to run without any hope of winning, he could have been a Constitution or Libertarian candidate.

snowshovel:vernonFL: When did the Republican Party become so inept? I've seen middle school elections go more smoothly than their primaries.

Well, based on the first page or so of that article, middle school elections go more smoothly mostly because Democrats aren't coming in with their dirty tricks to help get people like Todd Akins to win the Republican primaries.

I love the way that it's the Democrats fault that the Republicans are nominating such shiatty candidates.

Buffalo77:Once again liberals and progressives who have no clue trying to the the Republicans how to win primaries.

"you need to be more moderate to win elections" (in a whiny voice)

Just ran the two most moderate republican out there the last 2 elections and both McCain and Romney got smoked so yeah your advice looks solid.

And if they had run on their typical moderate platform they had been advocating for years, they would have likely won. Instead, they went completely batshiat crazy during their primary, then pulled to just paint-drinking crazy during the general election. McCain baffled the country by losing his farking mind during his campaign. Everyone was asking where he went - where was his consistent moderate temperament? Why was he playing to the crazies? Literally the SAME HOUR he lost the election, he returned to form during his concession, and there were millions of people saying "I would have voted for THAT guy.... where was he the last 12 months?" Romney spent the last four years going crazy, so at least he had a track record of leaving his moderate republican ideas behind.

Running a moderate doesn't matter if, when the spotlight is on them, they go Bachmann on everyone.

Dude, really? 2010 was a midterm election for the party in the White House in a bad economy after two straight elections where the Dems picked up lots of seats (which meant they were holding lots of marginal seats). The tea partiers had nothing to do with it despite all the noise and simpleton analysis by the media. The tea party COST the Repubs seats in 2010, especially in the Senate. Nevada, Delaware, and Colorado should have elected Republican senators in 2010. Several more should have been elected this year. Republicans should have a majority in the Senate right now but they don't because of stupid primary choices driven by the tea party. Election results eventually force parties to self-correct. The Republicans are just now starting the conversation but, eventually you'll see a dramatic repackaging of the party. That's still a ways off. Thus, for example, the Reps are about to throw away the governor's seat in Virginia.

snowshovel:vernonFL: When did the Republican Party become so inept? I've seen middle school elections go more smoothly than their primaries.

Well, based on the first page or so of that article, middle school elections go more smoothly mostly because Democrats aren't coming in with their dirty tricks to help get people like Todd Akins to win the Republican primaries.

Also, the Liberal Main stream MSM isn't in middle school election repeating verbatim what the candidates say, in order to unfairly make them look bad.

actualhuman:Khellendros: The "primary" problem exists because people don't care about local politics. People don't get involved at the city/county/state level, so we get only those candidates who were voted in at the local and state level over the last 15 years. Those people were put there by the fringe that votes in local elections.

So each time you complain about how the slate of candidates is terrible, filled with moonbats and wingnuts, ask yourself when was the last time you participated in your county or state elections. Ask yourself when you last got involved in city council or town hall meetings. That's where they start. And if only the "crazies" participate there, that's all you get at the national level once those parasites are done eating each other and advance.

but but but town council meetings? You practically need a sub-room-temperature IQ just to stay awake.

Exactly my point - when only one or two people in the room can chew bubblegum and walk at the same time, you need to put a mass of reasonable people in the room. The way it is now, the inanity is overseen and directed by the lawyer in the room on a power trip who knows how to pull favors. THAT'S the one that makes it onto the national scene. Not the one with the best ideas, or the one who got popular support. Nope, you get the sociopath who knows how to win the local election where only 3% of the city/county votes.

And then a few hundred of them get elected to congress using the same tactics on a national scale. A few dozen get elected governor, and a handful of the really, really crazy ones run for president when they hit middle age. And you end up with the 2012 GOP primary.

they're the medicine America needs...the only problem is they're not being heard.speak up!

Are you going to let the GOPe hush the patriots in the tea party? looks like that's what they're tying to do, right?

/make a sign and get out there, be visible, fight like it's America's last chance!//call out the GOPe players by name, primary their asses!, say lots of tea party stuff everywhere you go! wear a GOP/tea party tshirt...maybe even a tricorn hat?...at least a ball cap that thanks FOX news.

Infernalist:As I understand the article, the GOP is in full 'throw the derpers under the bus' mode. They're discussing changing rules and such about the primaries, thus eliminating the effectiveness of the far-right Derper crowd.

It would seem as if they've decided the Tea Derper monster that they've created...needs to die.

This can only be good for the political climate in this country. I say, bravo sane GOP. I realize your intentions are simply to try and hold onto power, but even the Devil can do a good deed when he has the proper motivation.

THIS.Reasonable people who disagree can come together and get things done. And then there are the teapartiers.

The "primary" problem exists because people don't care about local politics. People don't get involved at the city/county/state level, so we get only those candidates who were voted in at the local and state level over the last 15 years. Those people were put there by the fringe that votes in local elections.

So each time you complain about how the slate of candidates is terrible, filled with moonbats and wingnuts, ask yourself when was the last time you participated in your county or state elections. Ask yourself when you last got involved in city council or town hall meetings. That's where they start. And if only the "crazies" participate there, that's all you get at the national level once those parasites are done eating each other and advance.

As I understand the article, the GOP is in full 'throw the derpers under the bus' mode. They're discussing changing rules and such about the primaries, thus eliminating the effectiveness of the far-right Derper crowd.

It would seem as if they've decided the Tea Derper monster that they've created...needs to die.

This can only be good for the political climate in this country. I say, bravo sane GOP. I realize your intentions are simply to try and hold onto power, but even the Devil can do a good deed when he has the proper motivation.